You may not be aware that I absolutely love cleaning and whilst I’ve not yet been certified I have to say that I find it extremely therapeutic! There’s nothing more satisfying than relieving the stress and pressures of the day with a spray can of polish and a duster so I can make my house gleam and shine. However, there’s one job that I absolutely detest and that is cleaning my floors! I have a mixture of floor coverings in my home, which consist of only a few carpets, so the remainder need a little elbow grease, particularly as hubby will insist on entering the house without firstly wiping his feet! As hubby is disabled due to a work related accident, many of the household chores lie with yours truly and this rather unfortunate habit of messing the floors with his muddy feet is often the basis of many a disagreement in our household!
Approximately seven years ago I discovered a fantastic little invention, which assisted me greatly with my most hated task (well, other than the ironing!) and during a rather how shall I put it, unpleasant divorce five years ago, my first husband decided to take possession of my purchase (without my permission, I hasten to add!) Why I will never know, particularly as he had never even used it, but I think it was all part of his cunning plan! Anyway, let me get to the point. Unfortunately, I could not find a replacement despite searching high and low, so for the past five years I have been forced to get down on my hands and knees and wipe the floors with a flannel and a spray bottle of cleaner, so my ex actually managed to get his ultimate revenge! Having said that I have to say as it was an absolutely horrendous task the scrubbing of the floors occurred only once in a blue moon! However, last weekend following a £40 spend on groceries in Asda I was presented with a small booklet containing £40’s worth of coupons, which could be redeemed off selected products throughout the store.
I almost threw the book straight in the bin, but something made me sit down and flick through the various pages when I couldn’t believe my eyes as staring back at me was my fantastic little invention with a £5 off coupon! I hadn’t even been able to remember the name of this wonderful product until I rediscovered it on the pages of the booklet and consequently, I dashed straight back to Asda and repurchased my trusty friend. I would advise at this point that as soon as I was once again aware of the name of this product I carried out a little price research amongst the various supermarkets and for some unknown reason it seems that it is only available in Asda. Although I’ve owned my new product for just over one week I have previously had two years’ experience of using it and as it is identical I am well informed to advise you of this superb time saver.
WHAT IS MY WONDERFUL PRODUCT?
Well, I’m sure you now know what this product is from the picture shown above, but if you haven’t glanced at the photograph I would advise that it is called the Flash Power Mop and is manufactured by Proctor and Gamble.
This clever little invention will make extremely light work of removing dirt and stains from your floor and will leave your home gleaming. Consequently, there’s no need to get down on your hands and knees in an effort to scrub, scrub, scrub!
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT FLASH POWER MOP?
Okay, the mop doesn’t push itself around the floor neither does it cast a magic spell and instantly clean your floors! However, it is extremely lightweight and operates with four AA alkaline batteries, which are supplied with your purchase and will enable the product to spray through its’ powerful jet action sprayer, a cleaning solution; the bottle of which neatly fits to the rear of the mop. I have learned that once the fresh cleaning solution makes contact with the floor it instantly begins to dissolve and subsequently breaks down any dirt and greasy stains. I would state that with my previous experience of using this mop I didn't once have to replace the batteries despite constantly using my mop.
ASSEMBLING YOUR MOP
Your mop is provided to you in a sturdy cardboard box with various images of the product on the outside, together with its’ uses. I would advise that I walked up and down the aisles of Asda several times before I was able to locate this product, particularly as it was not stored with the other mops. In fact, I found this product in amongst the bottles of floor cleaners, which in my opinion is a big mistake, particularly as customers like myself would find this extremely difficult to find. Inside the box you will discover three silver sections of the pole, which need to be assembled to create one long length. The process is extremely simple, particularly as each section snaps into place and sits snugly to form a 120 cm pole and once assembled the mop cannot be taken apart. The upper section provides us with an easy to hold purple handle, which has several ridges on its’ underside, so gripping is extremely easy especially for anyone who may experience difficulties with this hands and/or fingers. There is a large silver ring on the upper section, which makes this mop ideal for hanging up in your under the stairs cupboard.
Once you have assembled your mop you are ready to insert the batteries, which easily slot into place inside the battery compartment, which is located at the rear of the lower section and is manufactured from a sturdy purple plastic that mirrors the colour of the handle. This is accessible by opening the flap and once the batteries are correctly inserted you simply push back the flap until it clicks neatly into place. Your next task is to insert the cleaning solution, which I will discuss later in this review. This is an extremely simple task where you place the bottle in the correct position as indicated by the large arrow located on the one side. As soon as the bottle is in the required position you will hear a click. Please note that you should not pierce or remove the lid of the bottle, as when you push it onto the appropriate section of the mop it will automatically be pierced for you.
Okay, we’re nearly there. We now have to attach the scrubbing strip, which is simply a short length of white textured material with a fairly rough surface and it is extremely useful for removing any stubborn stains. To do this, we need to remove the sticker from the underside and press the strip firmly down on the appropriate section on the side of the mop. Finally, we need to attach a cleaning pad, which I will discuss later in my review and this is simply applied to the underside of the lower section of the mop, which is manufactured from a sturdy purple plastic and displays the familiar Flash logo and the words “Power Mop”. As the underside of the mop is designed with two strips of a velcro style material, which are located near to the edges, the pad firmly attaches itself ready for use. Whilst the setting up of your mop may sound a little long-winded I can assure you that it is not and takes only 2 – 3 minutes. It’s me who is long-winded in my attempt to explain the process to you!
USING YOUR MOP
The first thing you need to do is to ensure that your floors are free of any bits, so I tend to vacuum before I use my mop, as otherwise the cleaning pad will tend to drag the bits around the floor and you will find yourself constantly bending over to pick them up! Okay, we’re ready to use our mop! Situated on the front of the handle is a large white push button and it is this that operates the cleaning spray. You simply need to press this a couple of times when you will witness a gentle whirring sound and a powerful jet of cleaning liquid will be released onto your floor from the small dispensing area in the lower section of your mop. However, I would suggest you make sure your pet is well out of the way, as when my poor cat was alive I accidentally covered her in the stuff, as she simply refused to budge from her sleeping place in the middle of my living room floor! As you spray you need to use a sweeping motion with your mop until your floor is sparkling clean. The mop can be used on a variety of surfaces, such as marble, stone, vinyl, ceramic, linoleum, wood and laminate and takes a fraction of the time compared with a mop and bucket. I have black glossy tiles in my bathroom, which, on reflection was a big mistake, particularly as they show every single mark. I was constantly finding tiny specks of white all over the floor and it took me a while to realise that each time either hubby or I dispensed some toilet paper small flakes from the edges were dropping to the floor. However, a quick blast with my powerful toy leaves my floor sparkling.
To give you some idea of the length of time that it would take you to clean a room I would advise that my living room floor measures in the region of 12 foot by 30 foot and I can efficiently whip around with my mop in around 10 minutes. Another huge positive with this mop is the speedy drying time as it roughly takes about 3 – 4 minutes to totally dry, which is absolutely fantastic. Prior to purchasing this mop hubby would frequently decide he was desperate for a cup of tea within minutes of me washing the floor and would subsequently walk all over it leaving huge footprints in his path!
Arggh! As the mop head is extremely flexible you are able to push it with your foot to reach those awkward areas, such as underneath beds or cupboards, as the pole is connected to a universal joint. Consequently, it can be manoeuvred into any direction allowing you to clean almost anywhere. As discussed earlier the scrubbing strip will allow you to remove those stubborn marks and stains and to do so you need to flip the mop onto its’ side until removed and then continue mopping.
THE CLEANING SOLUTION
Accompanying your mop is a lilac coloured sample 500ml bottle of multipurpose cleaning solution and we are informed that this product contains sea minerals, which will dissolve tough greasy dirt, will dry fast and leave virtually no stains. The full sized bottles contain 1.25 litres of liquid and we are presented with various marketing information situated over the entire bottle. We are informed that one bottle can clean at least ten rooms, but in my experience of having previously used this product I would advise that I scrimped and consequently, made the bottle last much longer. Whilst I have learned that there are two fragrances available, namely the one I have discussed above, which smells absolutely clean and fresh I have been unable to locate the other fragrance, which is Fresh Lemon, so my quest will continue. As previously advised the bottle easily clicks into place and once empty is removed by pressing the release button that is situated a few inches below. There is no risk of the bottle leaking once removed, as I haven’t a clue how this actually operates, but the pierced hole is totally invisible to the eye. I can confirm that in using this product you are not likely to turn your floors into an ice rink!
THE CLEANING PADS
The appearance of the pads remind me of giant sanitary towels, as they are thick and white with large flaps located either side! However, the only difference is that the pads measure approximately 28 cm x 14 cm and I’ve yet to find a sanitary towel of this size! Accompanying the power mop you will find three pads and we are advised that each will clean approximately two large rooms of about 30 square metres. The clever idea behind these multi-layered pads is that they lock away tough dirt and you will notice that the more you clean the heavier the pad becomes (and grubbier!). In fact, I was utterly shocked and disgusted at how much grease and grime was actually lurking on my floors! The underside of the pad has a fairly soft texture and is padded to enable the grease and grime to be effectively absorbed. The upper section displays the familiar logo of Flash and is covered with a protective film, which should not be removed. I find the pads extremely effective and you will notice as you are zooming around your rooms that the outer edges will collect a huge amount of bits of dirt and hair. To be honest I am regularly picking off mounds of long hair, as I seem to be frequently shedding!
To enable my pads to last a little longer I tend to store my mop in the warm airing cupboard, particularly as it seems to dry out the pad and lengthen its’ life.
However, I would advise you to remove your pad as soon as it becomes saturated, as otherwise, as I previously discovered, the pad will start to fall apart, which will result in a horrible soggy mess landing on your lovely clean floor! Removing the pad is a very easy operation, as you simply need to pull it gently away from the Velcro. Unfortunately, the pad is unsuitable for recycling so needs to be disposed of with your normal household waste.
OTHER INFORMATION
You are provided with a 10 page instruction booklet, which gives a number of useful hints and tips on how to achieve best results, such as spray for at least 3 – 4 seconds per square meter of your floor and to carry out a floor safety test prior to use. Your mop is also covered by a two-year guarantee, so remember to retain your receipt and to register you need to complete the registration card and remember to the address provided. I’m not intending to discuss the content of the instruction booklet, but would advise that it provides easy to follow step-by-step assembly advice together with accompanying photographs.
MY OPINION AND RECOMMENDATION
I simply cannot fault this mop as it really has made my life so much easier. On the day of purchase I said to hubby “I expect we’ll be fighting over who will be using this” to which he calmly replied “no!” Whilst I would not have expected hubby to carry out such a strenuous task due to his disabilities, in my opinion this is an extremely easy product to use and very soon I will be giving him an introductory lesson, particularly as it will give him some much needed exercise! For anyone who experiences back problems, such as myself, floor cleaning is a walk in the park, as there is now no awkward bending or the need to move furniture, as my trusted friend can easily reach into awkward areas. My floors are now always gleaming and were previously a very neglected area, as I simply did not have the time or the desire to become the household scrubber! What I favour with this mop is that it does not leave streaky water stains on your floor or an imprint of the pattern on the underside of the pad; a problem I have experienced with many other mops. My floors seem to stay clean for a long period of time and in my opinion this product is superb value for money. Another real positive is that your hands do not make contact with the cleaning solution, so there is no fear of suffering any adverse reactions.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
Whilst this mop may initially seem expensive at £20 you are provided with a 500ml bottle of cleaning fluid, together with three cleaning pads. Replacement pads are sold in boxes of 12 for £4.48 and 1.25 litre bottles of cleaning solution at £3.38. However, as previously stated, it seems that only Asda stock both this product and replacement accessories and if anyone knows of elsewhere please let me know.
Well, that’s the end of my review and if you got this far I would thank you for bearing with me. I now have to rate this product and as I am sure you have guessed, it receives 5 stars from me! I hope I have managed to fully inform you of my experience of this fantastic product and believe me when I say that it makes floor cleaning so simply and in fact, a rather enjoyable task!
This review also appears on Dooyoo under the same user name.
FLASH POWER MOP - Makes light work of floor cleaning 
I had a flash power mop when they first came out, but after the pads and solution ran out, I threw it away. I might buy another one if they come on offer at Makro! GREAT review!